Nikolić forms own parliamentary club

Former Serb Radical Party (SRS) deputy leader Tomislav Nikolic has today put together his own parliamentary club. The group of 11 Radical MPs are calling themselves, "Napred Srbijo". Nikolic forms own parliamentary club The members of the new group are Bozidar Delic, Gojko Radic, Mileta Poskurica, Dobrislav Prelic-Doki, Oto Kis Marton, Predrag Mijatovic, Jorgovanka Tabakovic, Mico Rogovic, Vuceta Toskovic and Zoran Babic. The SRS is the largest opposition and individual party in parliament after winning 77 seats in the May elections. In the first reaction from the party, SRS official Milorad Mircic said the move represented an illegal "snatching of mandates". In a statement earlier, Nikolic said that he would be deciding on his political future in the coming days. Explaining his resignation last week, he said that “he is no rag", and "does not put up with humiliation". Nikolic explained that last week, he found out about Vojislav Seselj’s order not to vote for the ratification of the SAA in parliament only 15 minutes after he had said that the party would support the move. “In this way that the SRS is behaving now, I do not recognize the party which I helped to lift, I do not see in these people who cursed by grandchildren my colleagues, and I think that the SRS could have led Serbia to the right or left, East or West,” Nikolic said. He reminded that Seselj had told him to lead the party to the best of his abilities in his absence, "and not to listen to him because his thought process would be twisted at the Hague". Nikolic said that he does not want to split the party, but that "many people leaving the meeting of the MP group today left sad". He added that there he had "no one to submit his MP resignation to", because he was the leader of the SRS election ticket, adding that he has "lost the blank resignations of the MPs". After the meeting, Nikolic told B92 that he was “completely open” and that he told his party colleagues “the whole truth and asked them to not lie about him anymore”. However, he would not say whether or not he would be voting for the SAA. “Let this develop. Now my vote is not that important, if I cannot lead the whole party into it,” Nikolic said, while regarding the possibility of losing his position as a party MP, he said, “How can I be left without a mandate? Me? Impossible. Only if I want to.” Earlier on Monday, SRS official Dragan Todorovic was chosen to head the party's parliamentary club. Todorovic's deputy is Gordana Pop Lazic. The appointement was hinted at when one of the SRS vice-presidents, Milorad Mircic, spoke for the daily Danas. Mircic also said that the post of the SRS president's deputy will likely remain vacant until the Central Homeland Administration meeting, scheduled in two years' time. "Until then, the party will be led by President [Vojislav] Seselj, the Presidency, the Central Homeland Administration and party boards," he said. Although yesterday Todorovic, who chairs the Central Homeland Administration, said that Nikolic would remain an MP, should he choose to break party ranks over the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) ratification and vote in favor, he will be stripped of his mandate, Blic newspaper is quoting its sources today. Todorovic, who spoke to reporters in a news conference in Belgrade on Sunday, said that Nikolic's resignation is "a personal gesture" and that the Radicals remain "united and stronger than ever". The rift between Nikolic and other top party officials, including, according to unofficial reports, leader Vojislav Seselj in the Hague Tribunal, came to a breaking point last week. Nikolic first decided that the SRS MPs would vote in favor of the SAA, provided an amendment to the ratification document was adopted, but this was quickly overturned by other high party officials. Tomislav Nikolic (FoNet)

Nikolić forms own parliamentary club

The members of the new group are Božidar Delić, Gojko Radić, Mileta Poskurica, Dobrislav Prelić-Doki, Oto Kiš Marton, Predrag Mijatović, Jorgovanka Tabaković, Mićo Rogović, Vučeta Tošković and Zoran Babić.

The SRS is the largest opposition and individual party in parliament after winning 77 seats in the May elections.

In the first reaction from the party, SRS official Milorad Mirčić said the move represented an illegal "snatching of mandates".

In a statement earlier, Nikolić said that he would be deciding on his political future in the coming days.

Explaining his resignation last week, he said that “he is no rag", and "does not put up with humiliation".

Nikolić explained that last week, he found out about Vojislav Šešelj’s order not to vote for the ratification of the SAA in parliament only 15 minutes after he had said that the party would support the move.

“In this way that the SRS is behaving now, I do not recognize the party which I helped to lift, I do not see in these people who cursed by grandchildren my colleagues, and I think that the SRS could have led Serbia to the right or left, East or West,” Nikolić said.

He reminded that Šešelj had told him to lead the party to the best of his abilities in his absence, "and not to listen to him because his thought process would be twisted at the Hague".

Nikolić said that he does not want to split the party, but that "many people leaving the meeting of the MP group today left sad".

He added that there he had "no one to submit his MP resignation to", because he was the leader of the SRS election ticket, adding that he has "lost the blank resignations of the MPs".

After the meeting, Nikolić told B92 that he was “completely open” and that he told his party colleagues “the whole truth and asked them to not lie about him anymore”.

However, he would not say whether or not he would be voting for the SAA.

“Let this develop. Now my vote is not that important, if I cannot lead the whole party into it,” Nikolić said, while regarding the possibility of losing his position as a party MP, he said, “How can I be left without a mandate? Me? Impossible. Only if I want to.”

Earlier on Monday, SRS official Dragan Todorović was chosen to head the party's parliamentary club. Todorović's deputy is Gordana Pop Lazić.

The appointement was hinted at when one of the SRS vice-presidents, Milorad Mirčić, spoke for the daily Danas.

Mirčić also said that the post of the SRS president's deputy will likely remain vacant until the Central Homeland Administration meeting, scheduled in two years' time.

"Until then, the party will be led by President [Vojislav] Šešelj, the Presidency, the Central Homeland Administration and party boards," he said.

Although yesterday Todorović, who chairs the Central Homeland Administration, said that Nikolić would remain an MP, should he choose to break party ranks over the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) ratification and vote in favor, he will be stripped of his mandate, Blic newspaper is quoting its sources today.

Todorović, who spoke to reporters in a news conference in Belgrade on Sunday, said that Nikolić's resignation is "a personal gesture" and that the Radicals remain "united and stronger than ever".

The rift between Nikolić and other top party officials, including, according to unofficial reports, leader Vojislav Šešelj in the Hague Tribunal, came to a breaking point last week.

Nikolić first decided that the SRS MPs would vote in favor of the SAA, provided an amendment to the ratification document was adopted, but this was quickly overturned by other high party officials.